Thread holder for weft-replenishing looms



June 24, 1930. w s. FAVOR 1,766,889

4 THREAD HOLDER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed De'c. 20, 1928 z Sheets-Sheet 1 June 24, 1930. H. s. FAVOR THREAD HOLDER FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOKS Filed D89. 20. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [We/250w H SEW WM? Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- HENRY S. FAVOR, OF PROVIDE1\TCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 CROMPTOIT KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F 1 MASSACHUSETTS THREAD HOLDER FOR WEFT-REPLENISHING LOOMS Application filed December 20, 1928. Serial No. 327,378.

This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide means for individually te'nsioning the weft ends which 5 extend from the reserve bobbins,

In multicolor weft replenishing mechanisms of the usual type the reserve bobbins are stored in parallel vertical stacks as they await transfer. There is extending from each bobbin a weft end which is attached to a thread holder. As the bobbins in high position move downwardly their weft ends become slack with resultant entanglement and it is an important object of my present inven- 15 tion to keep each of the weft ends taut so that slackness and entanglement becomes impossible.

I have found that certain yarns show a tendency to unwind and become weakened ifa weight be applied to them so that it is free to rotate and in order to prevent this possibility it is a further object of my present invention to apply weights to the weft threads intermediate their ends and so held that the weights cannot rotate to unwind the arn. y lVith these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of EtIIlllltlCOlOI magazine having my invention applled thereto Fig. 2 is a front elevation taken in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1, I

Fig. 3 is a top plan view taken in the direction of arrow 3,- Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a detailed vertical section on hne 55 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a detailed vertical section on line 66 of Fig. 4, and

Figs. 7 and 8 are end and front elevations,

respectively, of the form of weight employedin my invention.

Referring particularly toFigs. 1, 2 and 3 I have shown the outside plate 10 of a magazine and have provided said plate with a pair of vertical slots 11 and 12 located, respectively, in front of and behind the center of the I magazine. The plate 10 is held in position by tie rods 13, certain of which are'extended as at 14 for apurposeto be described.

The reserve bobbins as set forth herein are arranged in four stacks, the tips of the bobbins B being guidedin grooves or slots 15 extending vertically in the plate 10. I have shown no means. for controlling the discharge andrelease of the bobbins as this mechanism may be of common construction and forms no part of my present invention.

It is to be understood that the bobbins move progressively down the stacks and the lowermost bobbin of the stack corresponding to an indicating shuttle will be moved from the magazine by mechanism not shown into the shuttle S, the weft threads T extending from. said bobbins moving down one or another of the verticalslots 11 or 12.

The matter thus far described may be substantially the same as shown in prior Patent No. 1,303,748 and forms no part of my present invention with ,the' exception that the extensions 14 of the tie rods afford a support 7,

forinatter tobe described hereinafter.

Secured byscrews 20 to the extensions 14 is asuppOrting member 21 which is adjustable toward and from the plate 10 and is disposed as shown herein behind the rear slot 12. Upper and lower guide members 22 and 23, respectively, are secured to the support; ing member by means ofs'crews 24 and each of said guides is provided as shown inFigs.

3 and 6 witha pliiralityvof aligned non-circu-' As shown in Figsfil and 8 each weight 27 is provided with a downwardly extending notch 28 which is open at one side. said notch extending substantially parallel to the axes of the reserve bob-bins. The upper end of each weight may be provided with a head 29 which will engage a portion of the upper guide 22 between two adjacent openings to limit downward movement of the weight.

The holder 21 is provided at the lower left hand end thereof as shown in Fig. 2 with a guide rod 30 located preferably between the weights 27 and the magazine. A second rod 31 located preferably on the other side of the weights from the rod 30 constitutes a thread holder and as shown in Fig. 3 may have a portion thereof bent on itself to provide a projection 32 around which weft ends may be wrapped. Both of said wires may be held in position by small set screws 33.

hen a fresh bobbin is being placed in the magazine the thread end extending there-. from will be led under the wire 30 and over the top guide member 22. One of the Weights will then be elevated so that its notch 28 will receive the thread after which the latter will be wrapped around the projection 32. In order to prevent the weft ends from becoming disengaged from the guide fQ 30v the latter may be formed as ihown in Fig, 1 with a raised offset portion As suggested in Fig. 3 there are a number of openings 25 and there will of course be a corresponding number of weights 27. If, for instance, the magazine to which my in vention is applied is adaptable to four different colors. and ten bobbins may be stored in the magazine for each color there may conveniently be forty of the rods or weights 27, one for each reserve bobbin. The notches 26 receive the threads. T from the bobbins and prevent the. latter from being pinched be? tween the guides and the weights.

As successive operations of .the magazine occur the bobbins will descend, but each thread will be kept taut because it is individually stressed or tensioned by a weight 27 which will move downwardly through the guide members to keep. the weft ends tight.

The lay L may therefore move back and forth without danger of having my part carried thereby break weft ends because the latter arev held raised by the weights 27.

In order to prevent accidental lossof the weights due to abnormal upward movement, the lower ends of each weight may be split as at to form two fingers 51 which may be separated after the weight is in position.

As a matter of practical convenience it is desirable to. separate the openings 25 into groups corresponding approximately to the different stacks of bobbins. This result may be accomplished bv omitting openings 25 at intervals, thus defining groups 25?. 25.". 25 and 25, one group. for each type of bobbin in t e. m ga ne.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided means for individually tensioning the weft threads extending from reserve bobbins in a magazine. It will further be seen that the weights which tension the threads are held against angular movement so that their slots 28 are always in position to receive a thread in the plane in which the thread naturally extends from the magazine, toward the thread holder. Furthermore, it will be seen that the thread guiding rod 30 is located in the lower part of the magazine to facilitate threading of the shuttle on the first pick following transfer. Again, it will be seen that although the weights are distributed along a line transverse of the magazine yet the threads controlled by any of the weights are caused to assume practically the same position with respect to the lay and the. shuttle independent of the location of the weight. Also, the weights are arranged in groups and each weight may be formed to prevent loss thereof.

H. ving thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the several weft ends are attached, a plurality of weights, one for each thread, to engage the weft ends between the reserve bobbins and the thread holder, guide means for said weights located above the thread holder to prevent rotation of said weights on their axes, and a thread guide located below said weights, the weighted members being between the thread guide and the thread holder.

2. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to, which the weft ends are attached, an individual tensio ing device for each weft end comprising an elongated vertically disposed weighted element, each weft end being operatively relatedto one of the weighted elements, and a thread guide for the weft ends under which the latter pass, said guide being disposed between the weighted elements and the reserve bobbins.

3. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached, an individual tensioning device for each weft end comprising an elongated vertically disposed weighted element, and a thread guide for the weft ends under which the latter pass, said guide being disposed between the weighted elements and the reserve bobbins,

said thread guide having relatively low surfaces and an intermediate relatively higher surface along which the weft ends extend, the lower surfaces restricting movement of the weft ends and confining the latter to the relatively high surface.

4:. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached, a plurality of vertically disposed elongated weighted elements, and a guide for said elements provided with a plurality of non-circular openings, the elements being non-circular in cross section and restrained as to rotation about their axes by the openings in the guide member, each weighted element being operatively related to one of the weft ends.

5. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached, the weft ends extending substantially in a direction parallel to the axes of the bobbins, weighted elements one for each weft end, each element being provided with a recess which extends generally in a direction in which the weft ends extend, and a fixed guide for said wecilghted elements to be engaged by the weft en s.

6. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached. a substantially vertical weighted element for each weft end, said weighted elements being noncircular in cross section, and a fixed guide for the elements provided with openings through which the elements extend, said openings being of greater dimension in the direction in which the weft ends extend than is the corresponding dimension of the cross section of the weighted element, the weft ends extending through the ends of the opening and being engaged by the guide.

7. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached, the bobbins being arranged in a plurality of groups, the bobbins of any group being movable toward transfer position independently of the bobbins of the other groups, a plurality of weighted elements one for the weft end of each bobbin, and means to divide said weighted elements into groups, one group corresponding to each group of bobbins.

8. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached, said bobbins being arranged in groups, the bobbins of any group being movable toward transfer position independently of the bobbins of the other groups, a weighted element for the weft end of each bobbin, the weighted elements being arranged in groups corresponding to the groups of bobbins.

9. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a plurality of reserve bobbins from each of which extends a weft end, a thread holder to which the weft ends are attached, a plurality of weighted elements one for each weft end, a pair of vertically spaced guides through which the weighted elements pass, said guides having openings to prevent rotation of the weighted elements on their axes, and said guides being provided with recesses extending laterally of the weighted elements through which the weft end may extend.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

HENRY S. FAVOR. 

